How's THIS for an idea that will resonate with the jingoists:

[coti]

China is going to beat us in the Green Revolution and, when the oil runs out, we're all going to have to become communists.

People being interviewed on the Discovery Channel series "Powering the Future" (referenced in another thread I posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8772660 ) are talking about the great strides China has made toward using alternative energies over just the last few years. China wants "to lead the market in products meant to save the planet." "The industry is being led by government policy, up-above."

Some of the statistics being cited in the program:

75% of solar-power-making machines are being bought by Chinese companies (i.e., the machines that make solar panels are overwhelmingly going to China).

5 years ago, China made about 5% of solar panels in the world. This year, they'll make almost 50% of them. 50% of all of the solar panels in the world.

"If all those jobs go someplace else, we're just trading our energy dependence from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East to China or other countries that are really going to make the investment to produce renewable energy."

China is investing almost $34 billion a year into clean technologies, nearly double what the U.S. invests.

95% of all vacuum tubes using solar power to heat water (solar-thermal tubes) are made in China. 1/3 of them will be exported, but most will remain in and be used in China.

China already has a model solar city, called Dezhou. 80% of the buildings in the city are outfitted with the above solar water heaters and 1/3 of the people in the city work in the solar industry. Brief article on the city here: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/solar-energy-changes-the-face-of-dezhou-city/



So, China's trying to lead the world in alternative energy, particularly solar energy. They're trying to get one-up on us. Isn't that the kind of thing that would make a teabagger's ears perk up?

We wanted to beat the Soviets to the moon, and did it. Why not this? Or do we just not care if we become communist anymore?

[drm604]

1. This would be good

if teabaggers actually believed in alternative energy. Remember, most of them support "drill baby drill" and think global warming is some sort of conspiracy by evil scientists.

[coti]

2. Well, they probably didn't believe in the moon, either.

But if we frame the issue as the U.S. vs. evil China, I bet we could get through to them.

[drm604]

5. I'm quite certain they believed in the moon.

How could any sane person not believe in something they can see in the sky?
Your idea's worth a try, but they'll likely believe that you're trying to frame the global warming "lie" as the U.S. vs China in order to trick them.

[coti]

7. The facts are plenty scary and all you have to do is present them.

These are the people whose brains are hard-wired on fear. If a Catholic Democrat could get the nationalists on board in the space race, this can be done pretty easily. All they care about is that some "other" is being demonized so they can feel good about themselves. If done properly, it would work.

[napi21]

3. Right now, we just don't have the $$ to do it. It sounds stupid

to me to borrow the $$ from China to BEAT CHINA!

[coti]

4. Shift the defense industry over, like after WWII.

They'll still get their money, they won't mind.

[napi21]

8. Operative word is AFTER! We are still spending tons of $$ on

Iraq & Afghanistan.

[coti]

9. Maybe if we gave the MIC another trough to dip their snouts in, the wars

would end, too.

[drm604]

6. It sounds clever to me.

Borrow their money to fuel your own economy in order to beat them economically. That sounds pretty clever to me.

[girl gone mad]

12. Correct.

But we're actually borrowing back the money that we've given them for finished goods. Again, not a terrible deal for us when you think about it. They are willing to give us stuff in exchange for our fiat currency, and then they loan the fiat currency back to us for a pretty low rate.

We could cut out the middle man and just spend the money and not have to pay interest at all, though.

[drm604]

13. I agree that it would be better if we didn't have to borrow from them in the first place.

But if we have to in order to rebuild our industrial base, and eventually break away from the borrowing, then that's what we have to do.

[girl gone mad]

11. We don't need to borrow to spend..

and we certainly don't need to borrow from China.

China funds our debt because they sell so many goods to us that they have a lot of dollars that they would like to earn interest on. It's not that bad of an arrangement for us when you think about it, but it isn't a necessary one.

[provis99]

10. does China even have any communists these days?

They sound more capitalistic than we are.

[coti]

14. Seriously- innovation is supposed to be one of the upsides of capitalism. nt